UK's Princess Kate learns how to make pasta on her visit to Italy

PARMA - Britain's Princess of Wales learned how to make pasta on Thursday during a visit to a hillside community in northern Italy's so-called food valley, an area globally known for products such as the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Kate, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, is visiting Italy as part of her work on childhood development, a central theme of her public work.

Yesterday, the princess was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers in Reggio Emilia, a city internationally recognised for its approach to early childhood education.

On Thursday morning, the princess visited a local pre-school and the Remida centre where materials destined for disposal are reused as tools for children's learning.

At lunchtime, she tried her hand at rolling fresh pasta at Al Vigneto farmhouse, located between Reggio Emilia and Parma.

Under the guidance of chef Ivan Lampredi, Kate was shown how to prepare tortelli, a type of stuffed pasta typical of the region, usually filled with ricotta and herbs, though other varieties include spinach, pumpkin and artichokes.

Before flying back to the UK, the princess will meet families from several generations, learning how care, creativity and connections are passed down through everyday traditions, such as cooking, officials said.

Last year, U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recognised Italy's national cuisine as an "intangible cultural heritage", acknowledging culinary practices handed down across generations.

-Reporting by Phil Noble in Parma and Giselda Vagnoni in Rome/Reuters